Message 16999329
Insulin Mimetics Produce Weight Loss in Animal Obesity Models
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 31 - Small molecule insulin mimetics can produce weight loss in animal models of obesity and, unlike insulin itself, can be given orally, according to a report published in the February 2nd issue of Nature Medicine.
Injection of insulin into the brain is known to cause a reduction in food intake and body weight. However, when insulin is given systemically very little enters the brain and weight gain actually occurs.
Dr. Bei B. Zhang, from Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey, and colleagues evaluated the effects of small molecule insulin mimetics in animal models of obesity.
In a rat model, the investigators found that intracerebroventricular injection of an insulin mimetic lead to a dose-dependent reduction in food intake and body weight. Treatment with the mimetic also altered the expression of hypothalamic gene involved in the regulation of food intake and body weight.
Oral administration of a mimetic in a mouse model of high-fat diet-induced obesity lead to a reduction in body weight gain, adiposity, and insulin resistance, the investigators note.
The findings indicate that "activation of central and peripheral insulin signaling with small molecule insulin mimetic agents leads to beneficial effects on the control of body weight, food intake, adiposity, and insulin sensitivity," the authors state.
"Our data demonstrate the unique advantage of small molecule insulin mimetics over insulin in controlling body weight and provide proof-of-principle for a novel approach for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders," Dr. Zhang's team concludes.
Nat Med 2002;8:179-183. |
